15  Patty and Nora Check-in 27MAR2024

Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2024

15.1 Attendees

  • Patty Burns
  • Nora Pearson

15.2 Agenda

  1. Discuss the upcoming presentation on the Urban Soil Survey Project. Review the slides and content.

15.3 Presentation Structure

  1. Title and Authors
  2. Goals and Deliverables
  3. Area of Interest (AOI)
  4. Artesol Incorporation
  5. DSP Project
  6. Methods Overview
  7. Timeline
  8. Team and Partners
  9. Stay Updated

15.4 Detailed Discussion

15.4.1 1. Title and Authors

  • The title was set as “Implementing an Urban Soil Survey Framework in Minnesota” with Nora, Patty, Nic, Dan, and Joe as authors.

15.4.2 2. Goals and Deliverables

Nora outlined the four main deliverables from the grant language:

  1. DSP project and soil survey
  2. Documented mapping guide
  3. Technical assistance and resources
  4. Engagement and outreach

15.4.3 3. Area of Interest (AOI)

  • The AOI is based on census data for urban areas and urban clusters.
  • Nora mentioned that the shape file was created by Nic and trimmed to include only relevant areas.

Action Item: Patty to smooth out the outer boundary of the AOI as requested by Joe and Dan.

15.4.4 4. Artesol Incorporation

  • Nora highlighted that they will be incorporating artesol, which is being introduced as a new soil order.
  • Both Nora and Patty acknowledged their limited knowledge about artesol at this stage.

Action Item: Nora to read more about artesol from the proposal document by John Galbraith.

15.4.5 5. DSP Project

  • Nora mentioned that the DSP project will mainly happen in 2025.
  • This summer will be focused on collecting data and potentially scoping out sites.

15.4.6 6. Methods Overview

Nora outlined the methods for the project:

  1. Public land sampling (priority)
  2. Opportunistic soil sampling in residential areas
  3. Commercial areas sampling

15.4.6.1 Public Land Sampling

  • Involves getting permits from DNR, Fish and Wildlife Service, counties, and cities.
  • Aims for access to large areas instead of individual properties.

15.4.6.2 Residential Areas Sampling

  • Described as an “opportunistic, flexible snowball sampling approach” by Nic.
  • Will utilize existing connections from previous fieldwork.

15.4.6.3 Commercial Areas Sampling

  • Will involve a survey conducted by undergrads.
  • They will look for construction sites with open ground.
  • The team will reach out to construction teams for permission to sample.

Nora also mentioned the use of legacy data from previous projects, which includes lead, carbon, and phosphorus data from various sites across the Twin Cities.

15.4.7 7. Timeline

The timeline discussion included:

  • Kickoff meeting
  • Field work starting this summer
  • Initial field review
  • DSP project in 2025
  • Data QA/QC and NASIS entry by September 2026

Action Item: Patty to ask Joe for more details about the initial field review.

15.4.8 8. Team and Partners

Nora presented slides showing the core team members and partners involved in the project.

Action Item: Patty to check with Joe if any additional NRCS staff should be included in the team list.

15.4.9 9. Stay Updated

  • Nora promoted the project e-book, which contains meeting minutes and project information.
  • She plans to add a slide plugging the kickoff meeting.

15.5 Additional Discussion Points

15.5.1 Soil Analyses

Patty and Nora discussed what analyses would be performed on the soil samples:

Patty: “All the new spots that we are going to be sampling. You guys are gonna still get some of the same stuff. Total P carbon lead. Are you’re still doing.”

Nora: “We might get we might get lead because because have the pXRF in Nic’s lab, and it’s fairly quick. It’s really easy to do. And a lot of people in Minneapolis and Saint Paul like know about lead as an issue, or like, know about lead, contamination, and soil.”

Action Item: Nora to confirm with Nic what analyses will be performed on the soil samples collected during fieldwork.

15.5.2 Presentation Approach

Nora expressed her intention to keep the presentation somewhat general due to the early stage of the project:

Patty agreed with this approach.

15.6 Conclusion

The meeting concluded with both Nora and Patty feeling positive about the presentation draft. Nora will continue to refine the slides based on the discussion and feedback from Joe.

15.7 Action Items Summary

  1. Patty to smooth out the outer boundary of the AOI as requested by Joe and Dan.
  2. Nora to read more about ARTESOL from the proposal document by John Galbraith.
  3. Nora to create slides showing why the river valley should be included in the AOI, to be sent to Joe and Dan.
  4. Patty to ask Joe for more details about the initial field review.
  5. Patty to check with Joe if any additional NRCS staff should be included in the team list.
  6. Nora to phrase the river valley inclusion carefully in the presentation, noting it’s still under consideration.
  7. Nora to confirm with Nick what analyses will be performed on the soil samples collected during fieldwork.
  8. Nora to continue refining the presentation slides based on the discussion and any feedback from Joe.